Happy Halfway-Through-the-Heart-of-Winter Day!

[gim]

15 minutes ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

I sure think it’s silly that we still have a closed season at all, just set a catch and release only period from ice out to June 1st if you want to protect spawning fish. 

 

The current closed season and period of C&R in May really has nothing to do with protecting bass.  Its 100% based on protecting the state's sacred cow, the walleye.  They don't want people "bass fishing for walleyes" when that season is closed.

 

That being said, the wheels have been in motion on this for a while.  I think at some point in the future there will be an elimination of a closed season, with a period of time dedicated solely to C&R that follows the time frame you mentioned.  Bass here spawn sometime between early May and mid June here, so that's when the season should reflect C&R.  The rules in place should be designed to protect the species they govern.  Not another species.

 

Unfortunately, walleyes are the golden ticket here and most anglers look at bass like they are green carp.  Its like that in other states too with other species.  Bass are just not as important.  Its like comparing turkey or upland or waterfowl hunting to deer hunting; deer hunting is the king and the regulations are always going to be geared towards the most popular one.

[Swamp Girl]

14 minutes ago, gim said:

Unfortunately, walleyes are the golden ticket here and most anglers look at bass like they are green carp. 

 

So true. I've encountered many Minnesota anglers who look down their long Nordic noses at smallies. 

 

Full disclosure: I too have a long, Nordic nose.

[gim]

34 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

So true. I've encountered many Minnesota anglers who look down their long Nordic noses at smallies. 

 

There's like 10 oversized statues of walleyes on various lakes around the state too.  Its like people honor it as a sacred fish or something and 98% of them want to catch it and then keep it too.  Slightly hypcrocritical.

 

But, I will say that the "under the radar" popularity that bass fishing sometimes has is what reduces fishing pressure on them in many lakes/rivers.  So its not all negative.  If bass fishing all of the sudden became as popular as walleye fishing, it would ruin a lot of my fishing spots solely from angling pressure.  The closed season and/or the lakes locked up in ice for half the year also give the fish a chance to "rest" from pressure the rest of the open water season.

[Swamp Girl]

7 minutes ago, gim said:

If bass fishing all of the sudden became as popular as walleye fishing, it would ruin a lot of my fishing spots solely from angling pressure.

 

Good point...and you do catch big northern bass. For your sake, I'm going to mount a billboard "Bass are poopy!" campaign in Minnesota. 

[TnRiver46]

Bass is king by a landslide down here, it’s even on a license plate

 

[Swamp Girl]

@TnRiver46: If I were governor of Maine, I'd issue a soggy canoe license plate. 

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

3 hours ago, gim said:

 

But, I will say that the "under the radar" popularity that bass fishing sometimes has is what reduces fishing pressure on them 

I agree 100% I’m glad our largies are probably the 5 most fished for species up here after walleye, musky, crappie, and maybe smallmouth. Definitely spread out the fishing pressure on them. 

[gim]

13 minutes ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

I agree 100% I’m glad our largies are probably the 5 most fished for species up here after walleye, musky, crappie, and maybe smallmouth. Definitely spread out the fishing pressure on them. 

 

Yep.  I'd rank bass as probably the 4th or 5th on the list behind walleye, panfish, and trout for sure.  It probably has a bigger following than muskie fishing does now.  Muskie fishing is losing participants lately due to low stocking numbers.

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

6 hours ago, gim said:

 

Yep.  I'd rank bass as probably the 4th or 5th on the list behind walleye, panfish, and trout for sure.  It probably has a bigger following than muskie fishing does now.  Muskie fishing is losing participants lately due to low stocking numbers.

I suppose I have seen less guys Muskie fishing. Trout is definitely less common farther north, there’s only a couple stocked streams up here.